


Fires in the Night

by Jevil_Joss



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, RWBY Uncommon Ships, Yeah I'm expanding on this, mild violence, some dark stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 17,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27599540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jevil_Joss/pseuds/Jevil_Joss
Summary: In order to get everything she wanted, Cinder needed to do what would prove to be one of the hardest things she'd ever tried before.
Relationships: Cinder Fall/Neopolitan
Comments: 13
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work is set directly after my fic, A Talk in the Dark, which is linked below. It was a request, and the creative gears started ticking after I wrote the one-shot. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> P.S. I have not yet watched any of vol 8, so in any comments, please do not spoil it. 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/27112195

_Deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths. Everything is fine--you are in control._

Cinder collapsed against a wall, closing her eyes shut. "I can't do this," she said. "I can't just walk in there and talk to them like I didn't destroy their lives. Grr, I'm so cold. Why didn't I wear pants? Or at least gloves?"

Neo slapped her, bringing focus back to the matter at hand. Cinder sighed. "Right," she said, intertwining her human fingers with her Grimm over her chest. "Okay. What...we talked about this just last night. Among...other things." 

Neo poked her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. Cinder sighed, sliding back against the wall and hitting the ground. "Gods. I know we have to get away from Salem, and I know that we can't do it alone. If we want to escape, we have to get help, and even if we decided to try stopping her on our own, we'd run into Ruby sooner or later. I just--okay, I need more time. I can't just walk up, all 'hey. Cinder here'. I need...I need a speech. Or something. Do you think chocolates would help?"

Neo let out a sigh--the exact science behind that act eluded Cinder at the moment. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, then lifted Cinder to her feet, leading her away. "What do you have in mind this time?" Cinder asked with a sigh to rival Neo's. Neo didn't look back, but Cinder saw the trace of a smile cross the mute's lips. 

"Dear gods. I often wonder what I've gotten myself into with you." They left the alley, Cinder straightening her coat over her Grimm arm. An inevitably pointless act, as they weren't seen anyway. 

At least, after they left. From behind a corner, a figure in a red cloak stepped besides a tallish blonde man. 

"What do you think?" he asked, looking after them. 

"I think we don't know enough," the girl replied, straightening her hood. "Did they say they were trying to get away from Salem?"

"Yeah. You think...you think she's actually trying to come clean?"

"That's what it sounds like. But I kind of want to hear more from her."

"Even...after everything?"

"I...yeah. Yeah, I do."

"Well, your call. What do we do?"

"Call the others. The two of us are gonna follow them. See what we can see. And if we think that Cinder's not coming clean, we end her."

He nodded. "Got it."


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey. Cinder here."

There was a long silence in the abandoned warehouse they'd found. Neo was setting up a blackboard she'd found, but stopped to give Cinder a suffering look. "Did that sound as stupid to you as it did to me?" Cinder asked. Neo nodded. 

"Right." Cinder leaned back on the crate she sat on, then stretched out her Grimm hand and picked up a soda bottle--same name brand that she didn't care about at the moment. She struggled to take the lid off, unable to hold it properly with her Grimm hand. She swapped, holding it with her human hand while trying to twist the lid off with her two claws. 

Upon receiving equal difficulty in that venture, she gritted her teeth, trying once more. Her claws broke the entire top part of the bottle off, spilling soda all over herself and the floor. With a cry of rage, she threw the bottle as hard as she could, small wings of fire tracing from her eyes. Neo calmly came over and picked up another soda, popped it open, and handed it to Cinder. Cinder took it with her human arm, not looking at Neo. Neo kissed Cinder on the cheek, turning the other's face to look into her eyes. Cinder sighed, the wings of fire disappearing as Neo walked back to the blackboard, and started choosing between different pieces of chalk. Cinder hunched over, dejected, and looked down at her Grimm hand, flexing the two fingers. Bony, stretched, clawed, with wrinkled skin. Cinder clenched it into a fist, then relaxed the fingers. What had she done to herself? Had she really been that hungry for power?

"Neo? Do you...do...you..." She sighed, closing her eyes. "Do you believe in destiny?"

She heard Neo writing on the blackboard. She opened her eyes, to see a giant question mark on the blackboard. Neo shrugged helplessly. "You don't know what I mean by destiny, do you?" Cinder asked. Neo nodded, erasing the question mark. She seemed delighted when the mark cleared away without any residue. 

"I've always believed that...there were some things that were destined to happen to you. Some things that you couldn't avoid. This was going to happen to you, and nothing you could do could stop it. Paths were already laid out for you to tread upon, and you couldn't seek out another one." 

She waited a long moment, listening to the sound of chalk scratching against a blackboard. When it stopped, she looked up to see Neo's reply. 

"'Your destiny...sucks'?!" Cinder looked at her love, confused. "What...what do you even mean by that?" Neo met her eyes, then gestured back to the board, as if to say, 'what else could I mean?'

Neo erased it, then wrote more on the board. "'If that is destiny, I don't want to believe in it,'" Cinder read. After Neo wrote more, the Maiden continued. "'We can get away from Salem. I won't listen to her, and certainly not to some nebulous destiny'." Cinder smiled. "Yeah. You're certainly an optimist--which is not really what I'd have pegged you as."

She turned her attention back to the board when she heard more scratching on it. "'Why do you ask'?" she read. Cinder looked away, seeing a shard of broken glass from a window that somehow reflected her face. "It was...something someone once asked me. On the night at Beacon. I told her I did. Now, I feel as if...as if we both meant two different things by 'destiny'." Cinder took up the shard of glass, but once removed from its place, she only saw the dirty, dusty warehouse when she looked into it. "I wonder...would she...how would she feel about what I'm trying to do now? Would she applaud me for trying to do the right thing, or curse me for thinking I could do the right thing?"

Neo clapped a few times. "Applaud?" Cinder said. "At the moment, I feel...like she'd have wanted me to change my mind way earlier than this. But maybe...maybe I can still do _something_ good."

She was interrupted by the faintest of scratches--something it didn't even look like Neo heard. Most people would have mistaken it for a rat, but Cinder immediately recognized the distinctive sound of metal scratching on wood. She jumped to her feet, shooting a jet of fire across the room, blasting through several wooden crates. She floated off the ground, eyes ablaze. Someone had been spying on her! Seeing her in her vulnerable time, when she didn't have her guard up. 

"Show yourself!" she commanded. "If you're here to kill me, you may find that it's more difficult than you expect."

"Not exactly what I was here for, but it was a potential outcome I expected," an all-too-familiar voice came out from behind the crate. Cinder landed on her feet, the flames disappearing from her eyes. 

"How...long have you been hiding there?" Cinder asked quietly. 

"Uh..." Ruby Rose poked her head out from behind the crates, her scythe out and at the ready. "Since 'Cinder here'."

Cinder clenched her human hand into a fist, her Grimm fingers flexing out long. She felt...exposed. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. 

Ruby stepped into the open, Jaune Arc right behind her. "I...you want to break away from Salem, right? I don't think that was a ruse--you wouldn't have attacked if you knew we were there and were faking it all. That was all authentic, wasn't it?"

Cinder straightened, cracking her neck. "I--yes. That was authentic, that was how I felt."

Jaune stepped forward, hand on his sword. He glared down at Cinder, then sighed. "Pyrrha would love it if you decided to change and do the right thing. If you're really trying to stop Salem, well, us fighting would really just help her, wouldn't it?"

Cinder nodded. Jaune extended a hand, and, somewhat hesitantly, Cinder shook it. "What now?" she asked. 

"Now, we bring you back to Ironwood and our friends and, uh." Ruby stopped. "Aaaaaand that's gonna be awkward. Okay, um. Oh boy."

"They know you're here, right?" Cinder asked, cocking her head and releasing Jaune's hand. She shot out her Grimm hand, picking up the soda bottle and drinking a huge sip. 

"Yeah, but still. I'm just going to call them and give them...forewarning. Uh, you understand, right?"

"Rose, I hope you understand that I didn't expect to live this long after coming into the same room as you," Cinder told her. She moved the soda bottle to her human arm, straightening the coat over her Grimm arm. "Of course I understand." She took a step back, resuming her seat on a crate and crossing her legs. Ruby pulled out her scroll, taking a long step away from Cinder as she started talking to her team. Neo came over, punching Cinder's shoulder and grinning at the Maiden. Cinder grimaced, grabbing her Grimm shoulder with her other hand. 

"That's...it looks like it hurts," Jaune stated. 

Cinder picked up her drink, taking another sip. "Your point being?" she asked. 

"I was just trying to be considerate."

Cinder stiffened, throwing aside the empty plastic bottle and giving him a look. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?" Jaune asked. 

"I mean you haven't taken your hand off your sword, even while shaking my hand. You have every reason to hate me. Why are you trying to be nice?"

"I do hate you," Jaune corrected, "in case that wasn't clear. But...I guess...I don't know. If we're to work together, I guess...we shouldn't be trying to kill each other. So, I mean, why also just be hateful to each other? Then I'd be no better than you."

There was a long silence. "Oh no. My feelings," Cinder said, deadpan, giving Jaune a flat look. 

"Wha--that's not what I--"

"If it means anything to you..." Cinder held up her Grimm hand, rubbing the claws with her other hand. "...I'm never forgetting that night. What I did. What I heard. Nothing will ever take that out of my head. If I was as I am now, I wouldn't have done...the things I did."

"That means a bit," Jaune said. "Not much, but certainly something."

Cinder snatched a soda bottle with her Grimm hand, extending it to Jaune. "I personally don't like them much, but I guess the polite thing to do is offer one to my guests--invited or not."

Jaune hesitated, then took the soda--though Cinder noted he was careful not to touch her Grimm claw. "You're never _not_ going to hate me," Cinder acknowledged. "I get that. I don't deserve--or even care--to have you and your friends like me. My goal is to stop Salem--and that should be our goal. So until Salem is killed, let's agree to put all feuds to a halt."

Jaune nodded. "You're...taking this well." He turned his gaze to her Grimm claw, which, he noticed, was shaking ever so slightly. Cinder stopped it with her human hand, forcibly, saying, "Bold words coming from you."

"You act a lot more...in charge than you feel," Jaune said, contemplatively. 

"Don't analyze my brain," Cinder said flatly as Ruby returned. 

"Okay. It's time we all talked about this."


	3. Chapter 3

Every single member of the Ace Ops had their weapons out. Ren and Nora both had their weapons out, as did the majority of team RWBY. Ruby herself kept a tentative hand on Crescent Rose, ready to pull it out in the case of a fight. Jaune had his shield out and at the ready--in addition, he stood, ready to duck in front of one of his friends if the need arose. Ironwood had a hand on his gun, as did Qrow and Clover on their weapons. Oscar stood at the opposite end of the room. He had expected to feel some sort of PTSD, as Cinder had killed Ozpin, but no. Evidently, Ozpin had been used to this type of situation. 

Neo and Cinder sat side by side, on a chair. Cinder's legs were crossed, and she reclined comfortably. Neo lay sideways, head resting on the arm of the sofa and her legs sprawled over Cinder's lap--a fact which Cinder had not commented upon and everyone else didn't feel like bringing up. 

"I suppose I ought to mention the Goliath in the room," Blake said, looking around. "Can we trust her? Can we trust anything she says?"

"I don't know about 'anything'," Ruby admitted, "but it is safe to say that she is definitely against Salem."

"We heard her talking to Neo," Jaune agreed. "They weren't aware of us. At the very least, they plan on taking down Salem and they need our help to do so."

"But is their help worth the risk?" Weiss asked. "I mean, as sure as you can be, what if she's lying? What if she plans on taking down Salem but has other plans, too?"

"What if she's in the room and can be addressed?" Cinder asked, holding up a hand. "All good questions, and unfortunately, I cannot prove to you that I am on your side. You'll simply have to take my word for it."

"But we can also mitigate the risk," Clover said. "As soon as I got Ruby's call, I went looking for one of these." He pulled out an ankle bracelet. 

Cinder frowned, then nodded. "Actually, that works out well."

"With this, we can tell her location at anytime with the push of a button," Clover said, nodding to RWBY and JNPR. "If she starts going to places where she's not supposed to be...meeting with people she's not supposed to meet...we'll know. We can even set it up so that if she goes to certain areas, it automatically warns us so we won't even need to be monitoring it."

"Though do keep in mind, I am not psychic," Cinder pointed out. "If you don't want me going somewhere or talking to someone, you shall have to tell me."

"That's fair enough," Yang said, folding arms over her chest. Cinder stretched out a leg, and Clover put the ankle bracelet around her ankle. Cinder frowned, stretching out her leg. "I assumed it would be uncomfortable."

"We're not cruel," Ironwood said. "There's no reason causing any more pain than strictly necessary."

"What about one for Neo?" Yang growled. "If anything, keeping track of a one-eyed woman with a Grimm arm is easy. I would much rather keep track of the illusionist than the woman that can be watched."

Clover produced another one, then looked at Neo's ankle. "Will it fit?" Marrow asked, looking around. 

"Let's see," Clover said, putting the bracelet around Neo's ankle. 

"It looks pretty loose," Weiss said hesitantly. 

Neo shook her leg, the bracelet falling right off. 

Clover stepped back, scratching his head. "They don't come in smaller sizes. We don't have many problems with seven year-olds needing--ow!" Neo threw the bracelet at him, hitting him square in the forehead. Clover rubbed his forehead, glaring at her. Neo stuck her tongue out. 

"I would like to point out that I trust Atlas technology less than you trust me," Cinder said. "I don't doubt that before long, Salem will have access to whatever computer tracks these things, and Neo's valuable power as an infiltrator would be null and void."

"Our stuff isn't that easily broken," Clover assured everyone. 

"Salem has former Atlesian scientist Arthur Watts on his side," Cinder said flatly. "He is not dead, he is very much alive, and a huge pain in the ass to exist in the same room as. He's the one who got us access to your tech at Beacon, and I'm certain that if Salem starts making moves in Atlas, he'll be--Neo, can you--" She reached out, picking up Neo and setting her on the sofa properly, glaring at the smaller girl. "If and when Salem decides to strike Atlas, Arthur will be here."

"Where was she striking next?" Ruby asked. There was a silence as everyone turned to Cinder. 

"Last I was with her, she planned to go to Vacuo after Mistral," Cinder said. "Vacuo's going to be a prime target--Atlas's defenses make it difficult, even if the environment is harsh. She wanted to isolate Atlas by the time she tries to destroy it."

"Then we should have time to get Amity up and running," Ironwood said, nodding to the rest. "Thank the gods."

"Um...maybe we should now have a bit of a private talk?" Nora suggested. "You know. Not talk about our super secret plans in front of the person we're in the middle of trying to figure out if we can trust?"

Neo jumped up, pointing at Nora, then threw her hands in the air, and sitting down as if to say, "Thank you!"

"I'll let you get to that then," Cinder said, rising. Everyone immediately stepped back, except for Qrow, who asked, "And where are you going?"

"Neo and I have been camping around in various abandoned buildings," Cinder said. "We were heading back there."

Ironwood and Clover shared a look. "I can find a room for you," Clover said, nodding. "That'll be much better. Er...how many beds do you want in it?"

"One will suffice," Cinder said, ignoring the hand gestures Neo was making behind her. Ruby didn't doubt for a minute that Cinder knew exactly what her lover was doing, but that she'd put up with worse from the small, mute girl. 

"Right this way," Clover said, leading the way out of the room. Qrow followed him, and Cinder and Neo right behind them. Cinder stopped in the doorway, half turning around, but only her eyepatch was visible on her face. "Thank you for giving me a chance," she said simply, leaving. Neo walked backwards out the room, giving a thumbs up as she left. 

Cinder briefly wondered what they were doing with Amity. Then, she acknowledged that she did not particularly care. They had a plan. She did not. She had no idea where to even start. They already had. She could follow their lead for now--at least until they trusted her more. Neo bounced besides her, smiling. 

"And what are you grinning about?" Cinder demanded, her eye turning to follow Neo.

Neo began walking sideways, grinning at Cinder before lifting up one finger. 

"We're going to have to get you a scroll," Cinder sighed. 

Neo reached an arm around Cinder's shoulders, squeezing her tightly and giving a thumbs up. 

"It _did_ go better than expected," Cinder admitted. "I did expect to just be shot on sight." She relaxed her shoulders, letting her guard drop slightly. Thankfully, Ruby and Jaune had left the specifics of what they'd heard out of the conversation. Cinder liked to be in control. She almost always was, regardless what anyone in the room thought. But when alone with Neo, she stopped trying to be in control because she knew that it was a fruitless endeavor when it came to the one person who could out-stubborn her. 

The fact that someone had seen her like that reminded her of what she wasn't in control of. Of how much she wasn't in control of. She relaxed her clenched fist--something she hadn't realized she'd done. She breathed out deeply, flexing her fingers. 

"I think this one will be to your liking," Clover said, stopping abruptly. He pushed the door open, nodding. "Yes, you should like this one. The bed is a bunk bed, the room designed for two. I'll see about finding a scroll to make things easier for Neo."

"That would be appreciated," Cinder said, finding she didn't care enough to shake Neo's arm off her shoulders. Clover and Qrow stepped back, but Qrow added, "For your sake, don't make us believe you're lying to us. Or else--"

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Cinder told him, stepping past him into hers and Neo's room. Neo closed the door behind the pair, Cinder smiling slightly as she thought about how much Qrow was bothered by that. Potentially a bad idea, but right then, she didn't care and didn't appreciate some random Huntsman acting like a tough guy to her. 

She sat down at the edge of the bed, sighing. She was quite a bit more tired than she'd expected herself to be. Assuming they were well rested, the two of them might just have been able to take Cinder in a fight at that moment. Cinder lay down, pulling the blanket over herself. Neo slid under it as well, scooting up next to her. 

"Not half bad," Cinder said. Neo kissed her on the cheek, and Cinder sighed. "Yeah. It all went amazingly--better than I could have hoped for. Than I deserved." She kissed Neo back, smiling. "Maybe we can actually make this work."


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a good long time since Ruby had woken up thinking about Cinder Fall. This time was entirely different, however. For once, her team got up and didn't make too big of a fuss about how early it was. Ruby called Qrow, immediately opening with, "Cinder up yet?"

"She's been up for hours," Qrow said as the video chat opened up. "She spent a while making a list of all of Salem's plans and tools she knew about that Ironwood's been combing over. Then she went to the training room."

"The automated one?" Yang asked, running a hand through her hair. "With all the robots?"

"On the highest settings. Blindfolded. Broke three separate records in twenty minutes," Qrow sighed, looking off to the side. "Then she retired to her room with Neo and a shit ton of wine bottles."

"She doesn't seem like an alcoholic," Weiss pointed out. Immediately, from Qrow's end of the voice call came the sound of breaking glass and a cry. 

"She appears to be throwing them at the wall," Qrow said simply. "I came down here to see what was the noise about. I kind of feel like I shouldn't bother her right now."

Ruby hung up, rising. 

"Tell me you're not doing what I think you're about to do," Yang said. 

"I mean..." Ruby sighed. "What's gonna happen if she tries to become good but everyone just treats her like a villain? Nothing she learns would stick. I think...I think it's what Pyrrha would want."

"If someone killed me, I'd want the fucker dead," Yang pointed out, folding her arms over her chest, "so they can't kill anyone else."

Ruby didn't say anything as she left. It was a short walk down to Cinder's room--even though it was far away from where anyone else would go. Ruby sighed, collecting herself, and knocked on the door. She gave a thumbs up to her team, who followed a short distance behind her. After a minute, she heard the shattering of glass. The door opened, and a tired looking Neo looked Ruby in the eyes. 

"Um...we hear the racket. Is everything okay in there?" 

Neo grabbed Ruby and pulled her into the room, gesturing towards where Cinder sat in front of her desk, shoulders hunched. She reached over, grabbing a bottle of wine from a pile of bottles. She grabbed it in her human hand, then tried popping the cork with her Grimm claw. When this failed, her Grimm hand went around the middle of the bottle and she tried popping it. Unfortunately, her two Grimm hands couldn't keep a proper grip on the bottle and it slipped from her grasp. With a cry, she snatched it before it hit the ground and spun, stopping herself just before throwing it. She looked at Ruby, then her eyes narrowed at Neo as she lowed her hand, still holding the bottle. Ruby stepped further into the room, steeling her resolve as Neo closed the door. She kneeled in front of Cinder, grabbing her Grimm hand and lifting it up a little. Ruby considered the problem a little, then lifted the bottle, too. She put the long, thin top part in between her Grimm claws, pulling the two fingers down around the sides of the bottle. The Grimm hand tightened in grip, and Cinder hesitantly reached over, popping the cork with a smooth motion. The bottle slipped a little, but with her altered grip, she managed to keep from dropping it. 

_An everyday, simple action that I don't even think about--she can't do it,_ Ruby thought, shocked. There was a lot Cinder's Grimm hand couldn't do. It seemed like something Cinder was regretting. 

"You just needed to alter how you hold it," Ruby explained, pointing. "See, your two fingers can't hold it horizontally. But vertically, down from the top here, you can get a decent grip."

"Thanks," Cinder said quietly, staring. The bottle fell from her hands, red wine spilling onto the carpet. Ruby turned to the side, seeing a pile of broken glass and spilled wine right besides the trash bin. Neo moved over with a broom, giving the silver eyed girl a suffering look before moving to clean up the glass. 

"It's okay to ask for help."

Cinder didn't say anything. Ruby had felt many emotions about this woman--a friend once, perhaps. An enemy, mostly. An object of fear, of hate, of wrath. But now, none of those filled her head. Now, Cinder sat there, depressed about being unable to do the simple action of opening a wine bottle, and Ruby pitied her. It was the last emotion she'd expected to feel about Cinder. 

"I've...never asked for help before," Cinder admitted slowly. "My parents...weren't big on crutches."

"Friends aren't a crutch," Ruby snorted. "They're...they're friends. You have Neo, right? And you were friends with Emerald and Mercury, too, right?"

"I...I was never friends with either of them. Neo's...recent." Cinder lifted her Grimm claw in front of her, the two claws stretching, twitching, flexing. 

"Maybe you should start," Ruby suggested. 

"With who? Jaune? Lie or Nora?" Cinder snorted, her Grimm hand clenched into a fist. "I gave up that luxury for this damn claw."

Ruby grabbed her Grimm hand with both her own, stretching the fingers back out. "You killed Pyrrha, and Penny's on your hands as well. You'll...you'll always be the one who killed them. But why can't they be the last ones? Why does your past hold down your future? I'm...I'm not sure I'll ever forget what you did. But...I think I can stand to forgive it. Besides, at least Penny's still alive."

"She's..." Cinder frowned in confusion at that, then shook her head. She didn't say anything. 

"I can at least give you help when you need it," Ruby said. "I promise. I can help." She smiled at Cinder. Cinder seemed to shine...? No, her eyes were glowing! She let go immediately, swearing foully and jumping back as Cinder snarled in pain, clutching her Grimm hand. 

"Sorry!" Ruby cried. "Sorry, so sorry, I didn't mean--to--" 

There was a stunned silence between the two of them. Neo dropped the broom, and her jaw, stepping closer as Cinder held up her Grimm hand. She flexed the three, long claws. The door burst open, but none of them moved as Ruby's team rushed in. 

"How?" was all Cinder managed to say. "How did you...I can't...how..."

"Um..." Ruby scratched her head. "I don't know? I thought that accidentally using my silver eyes would have ended a lot worse..."

"Yes, try to be careful about that," Cinder said, taking a more formal air, straightening her back. She stretched out her Grimm arm to normal length, flexing the three fingers. "But you couldn't have given me a thumb?"

"Oh for--" Ruby fell flat on her back, laughing. "Oh my gods."

"What happened?" Yang asked, looking around, confused. "We heard a cry--"

Neo took Cinder's hand, lifting it and pointing to the extra finger. She was grinning broadly, and showed it to RWBY. 

"Ruby, how did you do that?" Weiss asked, stepping forward and examining the claws. "I thought your silver eyes destroyed Grimm--not made more!"

Ruby propped herself up on her elbows, giving the Grimm claw a contemplative look. "I don't know," she said. "But I know of someone who might have an idea."

"Ozpin?" Cinder guessed. 

Ruby shook her head. "Out of commission at the moment," she said. "I was thinking of the next best person. We need to have a chat with the Grimm Reaper."


	5. Chapter 5

Maria Calavera listened to the story, nodding, saying nothing until the end. 

"Well, first and foremost, thanks for telling me that one of your greatest enemies is now a good guy. I'm so glad you got to telling me this immediately after it happened, so I could know immediately that a great and powerful sorceress was now on our side instead of trying to kill us. Thank you so much, Ruby Rose."

"Uh..." Ruby chuckled awkwardly, scratching her head. 

"Nevermind that. Do you know what happened?" Cinder asked. 

"I know _what_ happened, unless you were all lying to me, but I can only speculate as to _why_ it happened," Calavera said, shaking her head. 

"Get on with it! I don't have time--" Cinder was cut short as Calavera smacked her on the head with her cane. 

"You clearly do have time for it, and you'll get your answer in my time, because that's when I'll have it," the old veteran snapped. Cinder, aghast, stared at her, rubbing her head. She almost said something, but Neo put a hand on the Maiden's shoulder, shaking her head. Cinder backed away, falling back into a chair, staring at her Grimm claw. She flexed the three fingers, still shocked. 

"Is it possible you might--be able to get rid of it completely?" Cinder asked quietly. "With your eyes?"

"I don't know," Ruby said with a shrug. "I still don't know what you even did."

"Grimm were made by the younger brother--the god of death," Calavera mused. "But they were still _created._ So it stands that some of that power of creation rests in them."

"What does that have to--" Calavera raised her stick, and Cinder shut up. 

"That's what I thought," the Grimm Reaper muttered. Out loud, she continued. "At heart, most of the Grimm are corrupted by the taint of destruction, of death. And when you stood atop Beacon Tower--did you have a Grimm hand then?"

Cinder didn't answer--she just grabbed her Grimm hand right above the elbow with her human hand. She clearly didn't want to talk about that night, but Calavera smiled. "Then I believe that's your answer. The silver eyes weren't powerful enough to burn away all of it, clearly, but they found the want for destruction, for murder and homicide, the lust for power. The same things that are found in Grimm. But when Ruby gave you your extra finger there...you weren't wanting any of those things. The silver eyes found Grimm, but they couldn't find any of those emotions. They found the want to protect life, the desire for friends. The same emotions that trigger them. It hurt, I feel, either because the hand is still Grimm, because growing extra fingers probably just hurts, or because at some level, not all of those bad emotions are gone. But the silver eyes tried to heal, to repair. To cleanse the Grimm from you, putting you a little closer to fully human."

Cinder sighed, flexing the fingers. "Then...it could be repaired fully?"

Calavera shook her head. "I doubt it," she said. "But perhaps...who knows? Certainly not me!" She shrugged. "This is entirely speculation, by the way. I have no idea why anything happened here. Maybe Ruby can control whether or not she destroys Grimm with her eyes. Maybe it's random chance and you got lucky."

"Who ever got lucky?" Cinder snorted. Ruby reached over and took the Grimm claw in her hands. The Grimm fingers were long, making Ruby's hands seem so small in comparison. "Cinder. If it's possible to get rid of your Grimm hand...to return you to some semblance of normal...I will do everything in my power to do it."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Cinder muttered, trying to tug away. Ruby kept a grip, clasping their hands together. 

"Who says I can't keep this one?" Ruby demanded. "Who says I can't figure out some way to help you?"

"Who says you want to?" Cinder demanded. "Why are you--stop being nice to me! Why would you care about anything that happens to me?"

"I don't know," Ruby said. Cinder looked her in the eyes, incredulous. "What? It's true! I have no idea why I'm trying to be so nice and helpful to you!"

Cinder tried saying something, but couldn't get the words out. Neo stepped over, putting a hand on Cinder's shoulder. The Maiden finally choked out, "You're helping the person you hate the most...just...because?"

"What other reason do you need to be nice?" Ruby asked, shrugging. Cinder choked, then a tear came to her eye. Then more, then she was weeping, shaking. Ruby's jaw dropped, and she sputtered, looking to her team for help. Neo tackled her, wrapping her and Cinder in a hug. Yang, with a grin, grabbed Weiss and Blake, jumped on top of the three of them, bringing her teammates with her. There were cries of confusion, and one or two profanities. 

"Dammit, Yang!" Ruby cried, trying to get the blonde off her. "What are you--"

"Ow! Blake, watch your foot!"

"You put your finger in my eye!"

"Get your hands off my--"

"Enough!" Cinder cried, throwing everyone off her. Wings of fire sprouted from her eyes and she floated a foot above the chair. She fell back down, the fire disappearing. She panted, wiping her eye. "Gods. You four are insufferable."

Ruby stumbled to her feet, glaring at Yang. "Well, I guess there's a bit of that in any friendship."

Cinder rose shakily, wiping her eye again. "Dammit. I can't...I just..."

Neo wrapped an arm around Cinder's shoulders, leaning against her. Team RWBY circled around Cinder. 

"Truth be told, I still don't entirely trust you," Yang said, "but I'm willing to go with Ruby on this."

"I suppose everyone has the option to try and do good," Blake said. "I'm not going to complain about someone trying to do good--so long as they are truthful about it."

"We'll never forget what you did," Weiss said, "and if you're serious about this, I doubt you will either. All I'll say is...good luck."

Ruby stretched out a hand to Cinder. Cinder hesitated, then shook Ruby's hand. "It's getting close to lunch time. Why not you guys go eat together?"

"What about you?" Cinder asked, narrowing her eyes. 

Ruby grinned. "I'm working on an idea, and I have to talk to the General about it."

"I don't like that," Blake said. Ruby's grin broadened as she backed out of the room, giving them a thumbs up. There was an awkward silence, as the rest of them turned to Cinder. 

"I suppose there's no getting out of lunch?" Cinder asked. 

"Boss's orders," Yang said. 

Cinder cracked her Grimm knuckles, flexing the fingers with a wince. "Alright then."

"Well, I'm glad you got yourselves all sorted out," Calavera said. "But as you appear to have forgotten about me, how about you leave now so I can finish reading my book? Really! Who stays in the room of their friend, ignoring their friend completely, talking to each other, and just interrupting?"

"Who is she again?" Cinder asked. 

"OUT!" Calavera shrieked, waving her stick at them. Cinder stepped out of the room, Neo hanging onto her and the rest of RWBY right behind her. 

"Well..." Yang said, pounding her fists together. "Let's eat!"

"I've been to all four kingdoms," Cinder said, stirring her soup, "but I've really noticed that if you want hot food, you go to Atlas."

"You've traveled a lot, haven't you?" Blake asked, taking a bite of her fish. Cinder nodded, leaning back against her chair. It was a private dining room for the five of them, and an array of dishes was laid out on it. 

"Which kingdom do you think has the best food?" Yang asked, waving a fork at Cinder. 

"That honor goes to my home, Mistral," Cinder replied. 

"I suppose you can't beat what mother used to make, right?" Yang chuckled. Neo looked over at Cinder, gauging her reaction. "Uh--Cinder? You okay?"

"...How do you define 'okay'?" Cinder asked, staring down at her food without eating. She looked up, seeing everyone watching her. "Did...did I say that out loud?"

"Yes," Weiss said. "I...I've sometimes been curious. What was your home life like?"

"It turned me into a homicidal, power hungry maniac," Cinder muttered. "What do you think it was like?"

"Sorry. Forget I--" 

Cinder leaned back, taking half her chair legs off the ground and propping her feet on the table. She looked up at the ceiling, eyes closed. "'Can't beat what Mother used to make'. Heh. My father couldn't care less about me, my mother wanted me dead. Many days I wasn't given food. I spent ten years struggling, without power, unable to fight for myself. Sometimes, if I wasn't careful, Mother would lock me out of the house for the night. I would have to find a tree to climb in, to avoid getting eaten by Beowulves. On my twelfth birthday...I got my hands on a gun, and felt power for the first time."

There was a stunned silence. Cinder opened her eyes, flashing a twisted smile.

"Sounds horrible," Blake whispered. "So sorry that happened to you."

"I've heard that 'there's nothing like home'. You really have to define home for that one to fly, though," Cinder said, shaking her head. "Is home where the heart is, or where the blood is?"

Neo squeezed Cinder, kissing her love on the cheek, communicating her thoughts with a smile. 

"You didn't have to say all that," Weiss said. "I know all this family stuff is hard to talk about at times. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'm over it," Cinder shrugged. "And besides. I know that. You couldn't have gotten me to talk about that I had wanted to avoid it. As it stands, I don't care."

"You're not that good of a liar, are you?" Yang said. Cinder shot her a glare, and Yang rapped her prosthetic hand against the table. "You're never fully 'over' it."

"But I'm over it enough as to make no difference, so--" Cinder stopped beneath Yang's look. 

"Most of us went through something at least similar to what you went through," Yang pointed out. 

"Some of us more than others," Blake said, nodding towards Weiss. Weiss grimaced, but said to Cinder, "We understand pain. You don't have to talk about things your not comfortable talking about."

"I--" Cinder sighed. "I was expected to be hated by you all. This is not what I expected."

"I hate the part of you responsible for the Fall of Beacon," Weiss said. "But that part isn't behind the wheel anymore, is it? This new you--it reminds me of the old one. But it's one I can at least tolerate."

Blake nodded. "Ruby is the best of us, in some ways," she said. 

Neo raised an eyebrow at that, though none of the other three noticed. Cinder stirred her food once more, realizing it was cold. She summoned a small jet of fire, heating it back up and taking a bite. "Well, I--"

The door opened, and Ruby rushed into the room and up to the edge of the table. "Okay! We've got a mission, and we need to move fast. Cinder...you and Neo come, too."

Cinder choked on her soup, a potato falling from her mouth as she coughed and choked. She looked up in surprise, and the rest of Team RWBY was equally shocked. 

"Uh, Ruby?" Yang asked. "I know I said I'd follow your lead, but...are you sure? N-no offense," she added, looking Cinder's direction. 

Cinder, however, was shocked enough so that she couldn't have been mad if she'd wanted to. 

"Uh--decently sure," Ruby said, shrugging. "Many things backfire unexpectedly, but come _on!_ I just said we need to move fast! Let's _go!"_ She rushed from the room as fast as she'd come in. 

Cinder wiped the broth from her mouth, pushing her soup away. She rose without a word, cracking her neck. Neo took her hand in her own, nodding, and lead the way out of the room. 


	6. Chapter 6

"Her name is Robyn Hill," Ruby said, handing a photograph to Cinder. "She's trying to get a seat on the Atlas council, and has been doing her best to help everyone in Mantle, so it's very likely that she'll get it. Unfortunately for us, she doesn't trust Ironwood at all."

"And what are we doing?" Cinder asked as the truck hit a bump in the snowy road. 

"She and a bunch of her men snuck inside one of Ironwood's work sites," Ruby explained. "An old Schnee Dust mine that had fallen into disuse. _Super_ disuse, as several parts of the mine collapsed, and it's full of Grimm. Robyn and her men are trapped inside, and the Atlas scanners show something...weird moving around in the tunnels. We think it's just a glitch in the system or some of those centipede Grimm breaking the sensors. We need to explore as fast as possible, and get Robyn out. I'd like to also add, Robyn does not know about A-any of our plans or Salem. If at all possible, keep her from seeing your Maiden powers or the Grimm arm. But our priority is getting them out safely."

"Got it," Cinder said, resuming her stately matter of poise. 

"Ruby, can we talk a minute?" Qrow called out from above the driver's seat, where he sat with Clover--and Cinder was almost certainly the two were as together as herself and Neo. Ruby gave a mock, two-fingered salute, then left and began talking quietly with her uncle and Clover. 

Very quietly.

Cinder leaned back, almost closing her eyes before she saw out the window. She looked up in shock to see something unexpected. 

"Is that...Amity?" she asked slowly. "The fuck is it doing all the way out here?"

"Uh--"

"That's gonna wait a bit, sorry," Ruby apologized. "For now, it's important."

"Like it ever wasn't," Cinder muttered. She really did not need a giant monument to her greatest failure floating above her while she worked. Perhaps Ruby had had Ironwood put it there as a reminder. 

The cars pulled to a stop and everyone got out. The Ace Ops, RWBY and JNPR. 

Cinder's boots crunched in the snow. She held out a hand, catching snowflakes and feeling them on her skin. Neo stuck out her tongue, catching one and grinning derpily at Cinder. Her face fell when Cinder didn't turn to her, and she put her tongue back in her mouth. 

"Hey." Cinder didn't turn when Ruby spoke. "We oughta get moving."

They stepped into the mines, Cinder's feet crunching broken Dust shards and glass. And someone's scroll. She moved her foot, lifting the broken piece of plastic and glass and wires off the ground, then handed it to Ruby. Ruby gritted her teeth, discarding the scroll. "Come on. Groups of four, stay safe and locate Robyn and her men."

 _Ruby and Weiss are with me for the moment,_ Cinder noted, taking the lead and striding down a tunnel. She stretched out her Grimm hand, scratching the wall with one claw. A large pile of loose rocks and stones scattered across their path. 

"That's not safe," Weiss noted. Cinder's claw shot down the hole created, and the screech of a Grimm filled the tunnel. As she drew her hand back out, she wrapped it beneath her mantle and black smoke leaked from the hole. 

Cinder scoffed, continuing on her path. Neo hopped across the ground, her rapier out. They walked for a while, down various tunnels with varying degrees of Dust and broken equipment lying on the ground. 

"I thought this place was supposed to be crawling with Grimm," Ruby muttered, scoping out the path ahead with her rifle. 

"Between the two of us, we have a lot to discourage Grimm from coming to mess with us," Cinder replied. She came to a sudden drop, peaking down a sloping pile of sharp rocks and volatile Dust fragments. 

"That's too dangerous to get down," Ruby said. "We'll have to find another way."

"I can carry you down," Cinder said. When Ruby started to say something, Cinder added, "Are you forgetting I can fly?"

"Oh. Right." 

Cinder took Neo's hand, lifting her up. Neo jumped and sat on Cinder's shoulder, twirling the umbrella over her head. 

"I can take probably Neo and Weiss, then make a return trip for Ruby," Cinder said. Almost immediately, however, cracking sounds came from the roof. Cinder leapt back, hovering in the air over the precipice as the roof collapsed, blocking off the tunnel. 

"You alright?" Cinder cried, floating over to the newly formed wall. 

"Yeah," Ruby called out. "We'll try to make our way over there. Uh...I don't know how long it'll take. Fly tight!"

"Well, as long as nothing comes along that makes me--'fly tight'?" Cinder stopped. She looked through a hole in the blockade, raising an eyebrow at Ruby. 

"Well, it's not like you were hanging. It just seemed--oh for crying out loud! We'll find a way around! Stay in the area, so we can find you."

Cinder floated down to the bottom of the precipice, shaking her head as Neo slid off. She sat down on a boulder, human hand in her lap. 

Neo stepped in front of her, smiling encouragingly. 

"So...I'm guessing this is some sort of test," Cinder said slowly. "Then the question is, how much of this is planned?"

Neo shrugged. 

"All of it so far? None of it? Was I supposed to get separated from them, or were they trying to stay close and observe what I was doing?"

Neo put a hand on Cinder's shoulder, giving her a light shake. Neo crouched down next to her, shaking her head. 

"What?" Cinder asked. Neo kissed her on the cheek, giving her a smile with a twinkle in her mismatched eyes. 

"I have no idea what you're trying to tell me," Cinder said. Neo nodded. She knew, of course. Even Cinder couldn't always figure her out--or even, most of the time figure her out. Neo leaned over, arms wrapped around Cinder's shoulders, squeezing her tightly. Cinder relaxed, fine just being in Neo's presence for the moment. 

Ruby said she was on her way. Regardless of her lingering hatred for the silver-eyed warrior, she would trust her. Being in Ruby's presence filled her with a mild anxiety--like she was a bomb. She'd already went off once, even if Cinder wasn't hurt. She lifted her Grimm claw, examining once more the three fingers. 

"I could get my human hand back," Cinder said. "And not even just get rid of the arm. It's...it's possible she can return it to its normal state." Cinder had tried, on her own, getting rid of the arm. With a saw. 

Neo had not been happy when she saw, and it was no wonder. Cinder had been a bloody mess. She'd tried three times, sawing the arm off, but it grew back every time. Cinder couldn't cut far enough up her skin in order to get rid of it completely--if that would even work. 

Neo took Cinder's claws in her own hand. She tilted Cinder's head up, leaning forward...

"Who's there?" a voice demanded. Neo jumped to attention, weapon out in an instant. Cinder covered her Grimm hand, recognizing the figure at once. 

"This is a really bad place for a make-out session, you know," Robyn pointed out. Cinder doubted Neo could see in the gloom, but Robyn had a light blush to her cheeks. _Cute._

"And it was, evidently, a bad place to try and break into," Cinder said, tilting her head sideways. When Robyn stiffened, Cinder said. "Ironwood sent us to help you out."

"Did he, now?" Robyn grimaced. Cinder gestured up towards the precipice. "Neo and I got separated from Ruby. She's on her way now. Until then..." She sighed. "We fly tight."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy thanksgiving everyone! Hope you're doing well during whatever's going on in your life, 2020! Even though this is technically posted on the 27th...cuz AO3 gets weird sometimes and is actually working on a different timeframe then I am.

"So we're just waiting here?" Robyn asked. 

"Yup." 

"Not looking for the rest of my men?"

"Not until Ruby's back."

"What if they're injured?"

Cinder gave her a cold glare. "I suppose it would have helped you if you'd thought of that _first._ Or, you know, thought of _anything."_

"I--I am not going to take sass from what's clearly an escaped convict," Robyn said, still not lowering her weapon. 

"I'm sorry?" Cinder asked, giving Robyn a look to kill. She turned her gaze to Neo, who sat on a nearby boulder, stretching out her leg. Cinder looked down at her own leg, remembering the ankle bracelet. "Oh. That."

"You're clearly some escapee who chose the entirely wrong place to hide out," Robyn said. "I don't know how you know the name Ruby, but--"

Cinder stood up straight, cracking her neck. Neo smiled lightly as Cinder strode past, all the way up to Robyn. Robyn put the crossbow up to Cinder's head, warningly. 

Cinder didn't flinch. 

"You know nothing of my situation, do you?" Cinder asked quietly. "I am _trying_ to do good, and they don't yet trust me. So I wear the bracelet as a compromise, cause it's easy to trust someone you know the location of at all times. I am not some random, escaped prisoner."

"Get. Out of my face," Robyn said. 

"Don't threaten--it doesn't suit you," Cinder said, turning away with a scoff. Robyn was made uncomfortable--the strange, combat-scared woman with absolutely no fear of her or death was certainly an enigma. Cinder resumed her seat, making sure to keep the mantle over her arm. 

Evidently, she needed a bigger one. 

"What happened to your hand?" Robyn asked, finally lowering the crossbow. "It looked...withered." 

Cinder hurriedly straightened the mantle, pulling up her arm so that it was fully covered. "Nothing," she growled. 

_A fool's mistake._

Robyn looked her up and down, then asked, "What's your name?"

"Cinder."

She didn't look at Robyn, but for some reason, Robyn seemed to hesitate. "What?" Cinder demanded, looking up at her. 

"I've just...heard that name before."

"When did you hear my name? Cinder Fall? I'm not exactly famous."

"More infamous."

Cinder frowned, turning to Neo. Neo, from her perch, mimed the action of pushing something over. Not pushing, toppling. Falling. 

"The Fall of Beacon," Cinder muttered, eye closing. "Fuck, I forgot I said my name on that broadcast."

"No wonder they don't trust you."

Cinder laughed. A cruel, bitter laugh. "Oh, really? Just that? I only murdered their friends and destroyed their homes. Of course we're _besties_ now."

Her voice echoed around the spacious chamber they were in, and a rock fell off the ceiling a ways away. Cinder looked up, but Neo suddenly clapped a hand to Cinder's mouth. She put a finger to her lips, nodding at Robyn too, then pointed up at the ceiling. 

"Unstable," Robyn whispered. She, cautiously, stepped over and sat on a rock besides Cinder--albeit a smaller one. "We should take your friend's hint and quiet down." 

Neo gave double thumbs up. Cinder shoved her over. 

"Don't put your hand over my mouth," she said firmly as Neo stumbled to her feet. Neo dusted herself off, then picked up the bowler hat from where it had fallen. She took extra care dusting it off, putting it back on. 

"Sorry," Cinder said, guilt immediately rising. Neo waved her off, holding up her hands in an approximation of an equals sign. Even. Cinder sighed, hunching her head over. "Hands to yourself," she told Robyn firmly. 

"Your hand--you need medical care."

"There's nothing you could do for it," Cinder stated. "Hands off my cloak."

Robyn's hand fell back to her side. "Did it happen...at Beacon?"

Cinder shot her a glare. Robyn didn't budge. She, quite unwisely, was not afraid of Cinder. 

_I could kill this annoyance so easily,_ Cinder thought. _She would never stand a chance. And to Ruby? I never found her. Hell--once she has her back turned,_ Ruby _is nothing to me. Simple knife in the throat--_

Villainy was so much easier. But so, so wrong. 

Neo stepped between the two of them, holding up her hands. Cinder looked away, then snapped her head back, grabbing Neo's hand as Neo laid hers on the mantle. "What are you doing?" Cinder hissed. 

Neo stared at her flatly. Then, she moved Cinder's human hand and exposed the Grimm one. 

"Gods," Robyn whispered. "How did that even happen? Is that--Grimm?"

Cinder shot it out, snatching a Dust shard off the ground from a several yards away and bringing it close. "Never would have noticed had you not pointed it out. Thanks a lot."

"When is Ruby coming down here?" 

"I don't know," Cinder said. "As soon as she finds a path to us."

"Okay. Give me your hand."

"For the last time--"

"Your _human_ one," Robyn said, firmly. 

"Why?"

"My Semblance forces people to tell the truth. I want you to take my hand, and tell me that you have not lied to me once in our time talking."

"Fine," Cinder scoffed, complying. "I haven't lied to you yet, and I do not consider you worth lying too. If I don't want to tell you something, that is what I will tell you. Got all that?"

Robyn nodded, letting go of Cinder's hand. "Thank you. It's...a nice change, getting a straight answer for the first time in a long while."

"There's a time and a place for deception," Cinder said with a shrug. She stopped, then. "Wait. Is your Semblance common knowledge?"

"Yes...?"

"Oh for--" Cinder clapped a hand to her face. "That's why Ruby wanted me to come, too. Your Semblance. She can use it to force me to tell the truth. Aw, gods, that's actually really smart."

"Does she really think she can just get me to use my Semblance on some random person?" Robyn snorted. "Oh, no. She's going to have a lot of trouble getting me involved in one of Ironwood's--"

"If you don't want yourself arrested for breaking and entering, I'll imagine you'll have to give a hand," Cinder snorted. Neo nodded, sitting on the ground in front of the two. 

"Oh." Robyn frowned. "She wouldn't."

"But she can, and Ironwood _would._ " Cinder smiled. "Again, should have thought of all this beforehand. I'm reasonably certain that this place is full of cameras."

Neo pointed. and both turned to look where she pointed. "There ya go. She has vision of us right now," Cinder said, throwing a hand into the air. 

"That's not a camera."

Cinder narrowed her eye, then stood up, walking over with Robyn and Neo at her sides. Cinder picked the small package off the rock ledge. It appeared to have come loose in a quake, from having been packed in a small rock crevice. Cinder lifted it up, gulping. 

"It's C4. The quakes weren't natural. Someone's detonating them."

The clink of metal sounded faintly from a side tunnel. "Come on," Cinder said, summoning a glass blade. "We're moving."


	8. Chapter 8

The dark gloom was pierced by a faint light in the middle of the tunnel--a holographic map, that Cinder assumed was of the tunnel system. In front of it, seated on the minecart track, was a figure in scratched gold armor. The armor was scratched and damaged, and rattled loosely, like it was a couple sizes too big for its owner. They had a cloak wrapped around their shoulders and neck, falling down to the tracks behind them. It was torn and damaged, frayed at the edges. They had a sheathed sword around their waist, and in their hands was a bowl of noodles. Their back was to them, so Cinder got a good look at black hair that was whiting at the edges. Multiple black feathers stuck out of the hair, part of which was tied into a ponytail. 

Then Cinder accidentally stepped onto the track, and the metal clicked and rattled. The figure gasped, choking, in a cute, quiet way that Cinder would not have associated with the armored knight. It sounded feminine. She jumped to her feet, dropping the bowl and picking up a helmet from the ground. Her ponytail went out a hole in the back of the helmet, along with two feathers. Their was only a single eye hole in the helmet, directly in the center, and the helmet was split along a line underneath it, down to the chin. Even through the small gap, Cinder saw none of the figure's face. However, a red light shone from the eye hole, so Cinder assumed that that she wasn't human. 

The Maiden pointed her sword at her. "Alright then. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The figure drew her sword, which had spikes along its length, and was flat pointed. "I have no name which you may call me," she growled, in a raspy, bird-like voice. 

"Maybe 'Demolitionist' could work," Cinder growled. "You put the lives of so many people in danger!" 

The figure opened up a metal plate on her arm, tapping a button on some sort of wristband that Cinder couldn't see. The hologram disappeared. 

"Surrender!" Robyn said, pointing her crossbow. The figure pushed another button, and Cinder barely caught the beep of red on the wall to her side. She jumped, thrusting her Grimm hand to knock Roby out of the way. Robyn saw a Grimm hand shooting towards her, and attacked it. She was thrown back, but fired a crossbow bolt at the source of the 'attack'. Cinder cried out as the bolt hit her in the side of her face, burying itself in her burnt, scarred, flesh. She stumbled as the wall exploded, and a pile of rocks and Dust shards fell on top of her. Smoke and dust flew into the air, and Robyn coughed. "Cinder!" she cried. 

"Dumbass!" Cinder cried out, her head sticking out from beneath the rubble. Her shoulders, head, and human hand were sticking out from beneath the rubble. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I don't know, but I'll take it," muttered the figure, closing the plate and pointing her sword to Robyn. Cinder reached over, and plucked the bolt out of the side of her head. She cried out in pain, throwing it to the side. The armored warrior cautiously advanced. Neo rushed to Cinder, but Cinder waved her back. "Get her!"

"I heard them down this way!" Ruby's voice called out, from the cavern they had just been in. 

The figure stopped, then muttered simply, "Crap," as Ruby and Weiss rushed in. 

"Who is that?" Ruby said, pulling out her gun. 

"She planted bombs," Cinder said. "Get her!"

The figure sheathed her sword, then ran down a tunnel. Ruby and Weiss rushed over to Cinder, kneeling in front of the rubble. 

"Go! Get her!" Cinder cried. "Why--"

"That's not our priority, remember?" Ruby said, beginning to remove the rocks. "Our goal is to save people today. Tomorrow, we catch her." 

Jaune stepped out of the tunnels, nodding. "Ruby!" he called out. "That's the last of them, with Robyn there." Suddenly, a spike of alarm ran through him. "Where's Cinder?"

"She's got a broken leg," Ruby said, pointing to one of the cars. "She's mostly fine, just...worn, I guess. Did you see the gold person I warned you about?"

"No," Jaune said, shaking his head. 

"We did look," Marrow said. "We never ran into her, but the explosions did stop."

"It seems like she ran once she was caught," Nora said. "But who was she? Was she with Salem?"

"We can only guess," Ruby said, shrugging. "I--" Someone tapped on her shoulder. Ruby turned to Neo, who leaned on her umbrella like a cane. She pointed to the car where Cinder waited, then pointed to Ruby. "She wants to talk to me?" Ruby guessed. Neo nodded, then simply walked away without waiting for a response. "I've got to go deal with this," Ruby told her friends. "Don't wait on me. Catch me up on what I miss." Ruby rushed off, coming to a stop outside the door. 

She could talk to Cinder. It's not like Cinder was trying to kill her right now. 

Memories flashed before her eyes--memories she pushed down. Memories that wouldn't help her save the future. With tension, she climbed up into the car. Cinder sat on a crate, her leg in a cast, hunched over, head in her arms. Neo leaned over, wrapping her arms around Cinder. 

"Hey." Ruby felt a twinge of sympathy for this strange woman--yet that hatred, that anger, stood strong, too. How was she going to help this woman find the path to doing something good? Could Ruby do this?

"I failed, didn't I?" Cinder said quietly, not looking up. 

"Failed what?"

"You're test."

"Test--?"

"Don't treat me like an idiot!" Cinder said, slamming her Grimm hand into the wall. The entire car shook, rattling, with a dent in the side. "I...you were testing me, weren't you?"

"Cinder...you 'failed' nothing," Ruby said, forcing herself to step closer. She kneeled in front of Cinder, every nerve in her body telling her to back away. "I got the whole story from Robyn. Your first impulse was to save her, even at risk to yourself, even to risk losing the armor girl. How is that a failure?"

"If I've succeeded..." Cinder's hand snapped forward, and Ruby stumbled back, falling off her feet and one hand going to her gun. Cinder rested her Grimm hand on her lap. "...then why does this look like I failed?"

Ruby breathed heavily, trying to right herself. "I--" She coughed, mouth dry. "Cinder--how long did you think this would take? Who really changes that much in a day? Or two? Hell, what about a year?" She shakily got to her feet. "Don't be discouraged just because it's a slow start, kay? If slow starts made everyone stop trying, few things would ever get done."

Cinder stood up, stepping away from Ruby. She was barely limping--without the cast, Ruby wouldn't have even noticed her leg was broken. Cinder fell down into a seat, sighing. Ruby came over, sitting across from Cinder as Neo sat next to her. 

"It may be a long journey," Ruby said, "but if you're constantly taking those steps, you'll reach the end of the path."

"What if I get lost?"

"You won't, because you've taken that first step."

Cinder looked confused, so Ruby pointed to Neo. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to be with the 'you' you used to be. But after that first step, Neo came to you. And now you have a mile marker...eh...sign...landmark?"

Neo raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Cinder asked. 

"Look, these metaphors are really hard to come up with off the top of my head! Give me a break!" Ruby threw her hands in the air. "My point is, if you start to go off the path, Neo is right there. She'll be there for you, to point you back in the right direction."

Cinder nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

"A word of advice, though. Actually, two: stop jumping to conclusions about ridiculous stuff, and try not to...uh...overreact." Ruby pointed to the dent in the side of the car. "I am quite concerned that absolutely no one moved when the car with the two of us buckled its side like that." 

"Sorry."

"Oh, boy," Ruby muttered, getting up and leaving. "Good talk. I'll, uh, give you a minute. We're about to head back, so--yeah." She left. 

Cinder shook her head. "Fly tight. Mile marker. Gods. I wonder what goes on in her head sometimes."

Neo considered the question, then shrugged. "I suppose it's not all bad," Cinder said, smiling lightly. "Still salvageable. I just have to play my cards right.

"And that is something I am quite good at."


	9. Chapter 9

Yang stopped, hearing Cinder's raised voice nearby. "We should probably not get involved, right?" she asked Blake. 

"Let's see what's going on," Blake said. They found Cinder glaring down a man in a security outfit outside the training room with Neo tugging at her shoulders. 

"What's going on?" Yang asked, feeling very much like she didn't want to. 

"He won't let me into the training room," Cinder growled. 

"It's against regulations to let people with injuries into the training room," the man said. 

"You go, we've got this," Blake told the poor man. He left as quickly as he could, as Yang asked, "How much training do you plan on doing on a broken leg?"

"I can fly," Cinder pointed out. 

"You still need energy to heal, and you can't spend that energy fighting robots with a blindfold on."

"Can I go in if I leave off the blindfold?" Cinder demanded. 

"Help," Yang asked Blake. 

"You need to rest," Blake ordered. 

"I can't just sit down and do nothing! Muscles deteriorate when not in use--"

"And catchup can be done when you're not in risk of causing yourself permanent damage," Blake told her. "Your leg is broken, Cinder. You need to heal."

Cinder glared at her. "Is that a 'no', then?"

Neo rubbed her face, then kicked the back of Cinder's leg. The broken one. Cinder cried out, falling to the ground, slamming to the ground and gasping in pain. 

"Oh my gods!" Yang burst out, moving to help Cinder up. She picked up Cinder by her left shoulder, and Neo picked her up by the right. Neo reached over and poked Cinder's nose. "You okay?" Blake asked. 

Cinder mumbled something under her breath. Neo sighed, rubbing Cinder's hair, then struggled to try and carry her. 

"Let me," Yang said, lifting up Cinder in her arms. "Back to your room. Neo, make sure she stays there."

Yang carried her, Neo right beside the blonde, holding Cinder's right hand in her own. 

"How long has it been since you just...took a day off?" Blake asked. "Just had a day to yourself?"

"Never had that luxury," Cinder muttered. "Never had a day where I could afford to do nothing."

"You will soon, then," Blake said, nodding. "We don't have work we can do every day. You'll end up with days where you have nothing to do."

"We're trying to save the world," Cinder said. "We _have_ to work to that goal every day."

"We can't. You could have all the magical powers in the world, Cinder, but you'd still be only human," Yang sighed, shaking her head. Neo opened the door to their room, and Yang lay Cinder down on the bed. Neo sat besides her, smiling down at her love. 

"I am demonstrably not 'only human'," Cinder muttered. Her claw shot up, clenching into a fist, stretched out farther than any human arm could. 

"And when you prove to me that you don't need energy to fuel your body, then you can convince me to let you go into the training room with broken bones," Yang sighed. "Until then..."

A cry of alarm rang out, and the four of them silenced. There was a moment's pause, then gunshots. 

"Crescent Rose," Yang said. "Come on! _Not_ you! Cinder, stay and rest. Neo, come with us." Yang rushed from the room, Blake right behind her. 

Cinder tried again to rise, but Neo forced her down. She pointed to Cinder's leg, then shook her head. She kissed Cinder, then went to the door. 

"But I can--" 

Neo shot her look, pointing an accusatory finger at her. She rushed from the room, closing the door behind her. Cinder was alone, listening to the sound of gunfire in what was supposed to be a secure Atlesian facility. Her fingers gripped the edge of her sheet, ripping through the fabric. She gritted her teeth. Then, she got up, wincing at the pain in her knee, then left the room, following after Neo. 


	10. Chapter 10

Yang burst into the room, the doors slamming to the sides. "What's going on--" She dodged to the side as a gun blast fired at her. 

"That's Yang!" Weiss gasped, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. They were in Ironwood's office, hiding behind a pillar. Ruby was shaking, her eyes and the surrounding skin covered in a brownish glob. Yang and Blake hid behind the next pillar as several more shots were fired at them, stone chips flying off the walls. 

"Sorry," Ruby choked. "I-I can't see--I--it's the weird armor girl--she got in here--while we were talking--" She jumped as part of the pillar near her head blew off. "--w-with Ironwood and-and--"

"Calm down," Weiss said. She was holding her side, which was bleeding. It wasn't a sword wound, Yang noted--bullet wound. "She threw something in Ruby's eyes and knocked out Ironwood. Ruby panicked--"

"That's it!" Yang cried, jumping out. The figure stood on the pillar, holding Ironwood's gun. Ironwood himself lay slumped against the desk beside her armor boots. Yang jumped forward, firing at the knight. The knight jumped, kicking at Yang. The clang of metal echoed around the small office as the figure bounced back, drawing her sword. Her attack knocked Yang back, but Yang went back in with Blake. The two of them shoved against the knight, who held her ground. 

"What are you doing?" Blake demanded.

"You wouldn't believe me," the knight said. 

Yang tried to maneuver her way past the sword, but she couldn't get her footing properly to launch an attack. "You stay away from my sister!" she growled. 

"The one thing I can't do," the figure said. "I need her."

"No one is taking my sister!" Yang said, gripping the sword and twisting it. She slammed her shoulder into the knight, knocking her against the pillar and pinning her there, raising her metal fist. "No one!" 

"I am not anyone," the figure hissed. "I _am_ no one." She slipped out of Yang's grip, jumping up and over Yang. She landed behind Yang, kicking her into the pillar. She attacked at Yang, but a blast of ice Dust knocked her off balance. Weiss crouched back behind the pillar, Myrtenaster raised defensively. 

Blake struck the figure across the head with her sword, throwing the knight to the ground. She bounced off her hands, landing on her feet and sliding back. She pointed her sword at Blake, but Neo jumped on her back and yanked at the helmet. Neo landed beside Blake, holding the helmet. 

The knight stumbled back against Ironwood's desk, and they got the first look at her face. From the nose downward, it was a normal, human face. However, the sides of it were tar black, Grimm, and she had only a single, glowing eye in the center of her head, a bright red. The sides of her head and the top of her forehead had Nevermore feathers. 

"She's...Grimm?" Yang said, hesitating. 

"I thought your friend was also part Grimm," she growled. She lunged past Yang, snatching her helmet from Neo and putting it on. She blocked the umbrella and kicked at Blake. Blake parried as the knight slid back, into the center of the room. She looked down at Neo, Yang, and Blake. 

"I will fight for my goal," the figure said. "Fight as my sword. Fight as my blade. And then, I shall get my name back, and return to my _life_ after ten years gone. I...I can hardly remember anything from it, but I'm not going to let you stop me from it!"

A jet of fire hit her, throwing her backwards into the window, which cracked. 

Cinder stepped into the room, hesitating briefly when Ruby's gun was pointed at her. "And you said I wasn't needed," she scoffed. "All this trouble from naught but a Nameless Blade."

Neo shot a glare down at Cinder, pointing to her leg. 

"Well...some small threats cause inordinate amounts of trouble," the Blade whispered. She slammed the window with her elbow, shattering it, then leapt out. 

Cinder pulled her Grimm hand back, then stopped when pain shot up it. Her claws fell to the ground with a gunshot as Ruby fired several more times. Unfortunately, her claw had hit Ruby, and the currently blind girl had panicked when a Grimm claw hit her cheek. Yang charged to the window, leaping out and catching hold of the sill. 

"She's gone," Yang said. 

"Oooooow," Cinder drawled out, clutching her Grimm hand. She stumbled, her broken leg collapsing beneath her as she hit the ground. 

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I can't see--I thought I was being--I'm sorry I--"

 _"Shut it._ " 

Ruby shut up, helping Weiss to her feet. 

Breathing in, Cinder hissed, "It was my Grimm hand. It'll grow back. It has in the past."

Ironwood groaned, sitting up. "What--happened?"

"Not much, Paper Crown," Yang muttered. "Come on. We need to get Weiss to the infirmary, quickly, and Ruby too, to get that stuff off her face." 

"Weiss is fine--now that we have the wound bandaged and disinfected, it poses no threat. It's even on top of what appears to have been a previous wound she took in the past," the doctor said, holding up the X-ray. "A spear wound of some sort, so scarring will not be noticed next to your other scar."

"I would like to formally apologize for that one," Cinder said from her seat across the room. 

"Later," Weiss hissed. Winter raised an eyebrow, but thankfully, didn't say anything. 

"Now, whatever was thrown into Ruby's eyes is rapidly decaying into nothing. To the best of our knowledge, it is harmless. I'll give you all a minute." He left, leaving the rest of them to talk. 

"And we have no idea what her goal was?" Ironwood asked. 

"She didn't say," Yang replied. 

"She was Grimm, and knew I was," Cinder said. "The only way to make yourself like that is through Salem."

"That you know of," Weiss said. "There may be another way you don't know of."

"Regardless, she came in and attacked," Ironwood said. "She is our enemy."

"We need to know what she wants," Cinder said. "And where she stays."

"Both of those would be great," Weiss said. "But we don't have the means to get either of those."

"Our priority should be protecting Ruby and Amity," Yang said. "Ruby, her clear target. But she was right by Amity, and has shown that she can go where she wants without having any of us notice. We don't know that she won't target Amity, though."

"I'll up the guards at Amity, and post two guards in Ruby's room. I bet I can have an alarm system set up so that we can be notified immediately if she shows up. We can't take any chances. And--where's the Relic?"

"Ruby had...it..." There was a stunned silence following Blake's proclamation. 

Ruby patted her pockets and dress, quickening. "I--I don't think I have it."

"Wait a minute." Cinder held up a hand. "You were carrying a Relic on your person, twenty-four-seven?"

"Well...with you around I-I felt it best to have it in sight...y'know...just to be safe..."

"A fair thought," Cinder said. "But this means that Salem has the lamp!"

Neo looked up, then rifled through her bag a minute. She pulled out her scroll, holding it up for them to read. "'Lamp'?" Cinder read. "Yes, the Relic! Didn't--didn't we go through this?"

Neo shrugged, then pulled out something from her purse, pointing at it. 

"The Relic!" several voices gasped in unison. Neo handed it to Yang, who passed it back to Ruby. Ruby grabbed it, feeling it. "Yes! Yes! Thanks! Where did you--"

"'It must have fallen on the ground in the scuffle'," Cinder read from Neo's scroll. She let out a sigh of relief. "That or the Blade dropped it while under attack. I feel like she has even fewer pockets than I do."

"And they'd be girl pockets, so I give it fifty/fifty between her and I dropping it," Ruby chuckled. "Oscar? You hold this. If she's not after the Relic, then it'll be safer with you than with me." 

Ozpin's vessel stepped forward. "Are you sure?" he said, even though he took the Relic. "I mean..." 

"Even if she decides to take a hostage, it won't be likely to be you," Cinder said. "You've been with Ruby the least amount of time, it would make much more sense for her to take Yang or Weiss."

"Makes sense to me," Yang said. "I mean, we could also lock it into a vault somewhere...but since it worked _marvelously_ the first time, I'm hesitant to try it again."

"It's so small." 

Everyone looked at Cinder, who's eye remained on the lamp. "I can't believe I went through so much trouble to get something so small."

"Size has little to do with value," Ironwood countered. "Take your girlfriend, for example." 

Neo elbowed Cinder, leaning against the wall behind Cinder, over the Maiden herself, looking down and grinning slyly. Cinder looked towards her feet, seeing that in order to lean over Cinder, Neo was standing on a stepstool. 

_And I'm sitting down,_ Cinder thought, amused. 

Cinder stood, looking down at her girlfriend with her eyebrow raised. Neo stood up straight, and even on the stepstool, broke even with Cinder. Cinder's gaze turned to the Relic one last time, then she stepped from the room. "Inform me of anything further I need to know about tomorrow," she said as Neo rushed to help her walk. Glaring at her, but not pushing her away, she said, "I'm going to sleep now."


	11. Chapter 11

Cinder woke up late, for the first time in a very long time. She sat up, feeling her leg. It was fine--any break she'd had was healed now. She unwound the cast, throwing it across the room. It hit the wall, landing right besides the waste basket. Cinder sighed, starting to get up, but Neo wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her back down to bed. 

"We need to get up soon," Cinder said. 

Neo shook her head, giving a waving motion. "Later?" Cinder said. Neo nodded. Cinder felt like she should just go ahead and rise...but she had been told to take a 'me' day, right? And besides. If they really wanted her anywhere, they'd just go to her. 

"Alright," Cinder said, giving in once more to Neo. Her mantle was on a coat rack that Cinder had moved to the base of her bed, with Neo's hat on a hook right beside it. Neo reached over, and Cinder winced as Neo carefully took the eyepatch off. For some reason, Neo liked seeing Cinder's whole face. The first time she'd done this, Cinder hadn't been at all okay with it. Now, she was mostly fine. Neo reached over, rubbing a hand across the blackened skin. Cinder hissed, then decided to catch Neo off balance. She flipped over, one hand on either side of the surprised Neo's head, and kissed her, grinning. 

Neo grinned back at her. 

Then the door burst open. "Uh, you didn't show up at breakfast. We needed to talk about our--" Yang stopped abruptly, her face coloring crimson as Cinder hurriedly backed away, pulling the blanket over herself. "Get out!" she cried. Yang quickly backpedaled out, closing the door behind her. Cinder put the eyepatch back on, fumbling as she jumped out of bed and grabbed the mantle. She swung it over her shoulder, fastening it, covering her Grimm hand as she stumbled over and caught herself on the wall, breathing heavy. 

The heavy breathing stopped when Neo put a hand on her shoulder. Neo smiled, almost apologetically, as she put her hat on. Cinder opened the door, where Yang stood, turned the other way, looking at anything other than Cinder. 

"Sorry for overreacting," Cinder said. She put her hand on Yang's shoulder, meeting Yang's eyes with her own as the blonde turned. 

"Knock first."

"Got it," Yang said. "Sorry I--walked in--"

"You walked in on nothing," Cinder said firmly, starting walking. 

"This way," Yang corrected, showing her down the other passage way. "You can have some food while we discuss plans and all. Again, sorry."

Cinder sighed, reaching up and touching her cheek, where her hair covered the charred skin. 

"Oh," Yang said, having turned back just in time to see Cinder. Cinder snatched her hand away, glaring at Yang. "That still bothers you. You didn't want to be seen without the patch."

"Among other things," Cinder muttered. 

Yang grinned. "I thought I didn't interrupt anything?" She laughed, but it died down quick. She held up her mechanical arm, adding, "This...losing my arm took me a while to recover from. As much as I can recover, anyway. You don't ever fully recover from something like this."

"I don't need to be reminded," Cinder said, looking away. Yang looked at her, confused. "Huh?"

"I know how much I hurt you and everyone else," Cinder said quietly. "I don't need--"

"You didn't chop off my arm," Yang chuckled. "Come on. Now you're just stealing sins." 

"What?"

Yang stopped in the hallway, turning to Cinder. "Adam cut off my hand. Whether or not you had anything to do with the order, he still chose to follow it through. Just like I choose to kill him." She hesitated, shuddering a brief second, then continued. "You take the blame for the deaths you caused--but when it comes to individuals like Adam, their sins are their mistakes."

"After all you'd been through..." Cinder scoffed, "I'd have figured you'd be smarter." Yang spluttered as Cinder opened the door into the room. "I was n--" She stopped abruptly, seeing RWBY, JNPR, most of the Ace Ops, Ironwood, and Winter. Qrow and Oscar leaned against the wall together at the side of the room. All eyes turned to her. 

"There she is," Weiss said. "Take a seat, Sleeping Beauty."

Cinder took a seat, apprehension rising. "I didn't expect everyone to be here," she said. Neo took a seat next to her as Yang sat next to Ruby, the latter of whom was rubbing her eyes. Cinder noted they were red and puffy. Irritated. 

_Did I do something?_ she wondered. She hadn't gone anywhere they had told her not to go. Had she? Had she just forgotten? 

"What's going on?" Cinder asked, heart beginning to beat faster. 

"We needed to talk about plans?" Yang frowned at her. "Did I forget to mention that? Oops, my bad." 

Several people turned to glare at her. She ran a hand through her hair, chuckling. "Uh--"

"Let's just get started," Ruby laughed, sitting back. "First, there have been sightings of the Blade throughout the Slums in Mantle. She's not new here, but up here in Atlas, we know of no sightings since the Fall of Beacon. Whatever her master and goal, that made her go dark."

"'Armored Saboteur Tries to Kill Robyn Hill'?" 

The large heater in the road was surrounded by numerous Faunus, holding out mittened hands to the fire, desperately trying to keep warm in the harsh land. The figure in scratched gold armor stood out like a turkey in a henhouse. She looked up to the elderly Faunus with the paper, then beckoned for him to pass the paper. He obliged, and she read the article. "When did she even take the photo?" the Blade muttered. "Conveniently forgets to mention that she was breaking and entering into an abandoned Dust mine. Fah!" She threw the newspaper into the trash bin, seeing the edges crumple beneath the fire. She settled her arms in her lap, leaning forward. "I was trying to figure out what Atlas was doing. I found a cavern deep down, but couldn't find a path. I lined some of the halls with explosives, so I could blow myself a way in and a way out. I didn't expect her to bring twenty people down there."

"We need to stand united," the elderly Faunus rasped, tapping his cane on the ground. "That cursed general is our threat. He is our enemy. It was under his 'care' that Beacon fell. And who will suffer the most when Atlas falls?"

"Robyn should be working with us," another Faunus, a young girl, said. She had only one arm--the Blade had saved her from a Grimm attack when she was very young. Unfortunately, not all of her. "Together, you could keep everyone safe!"

"She's bought into Tin Man's lies about me," the Blade scoffed. "I'm working on this. If I can just--"

She shouldn't be trying to get the Silver Eye. This wasn't the time. She looked amongst the Faunus, whom she'd been with for ten long years. Living with them. Caring for them, and cared for by them.

She needed to strike Ironwood. For the little people. She'd exposed herself too soon, and that would cost her, but it could all be done. She stood, tossing a Dust crystal into the bin. The fire blew into the sky, the heat causing everyone to lower their hands. 

"I'm going to fix this," the Blade said. "I will be your savior. I promise."


	12. Chapter 12

"All these weapons, all these tools...and they're all dull and pointless." Cinder leaned back in her chair in her room. She spun around in the chair, eventually facing Neo. Neo handed her a wine glass. Cinder took it, holding its base in her Grimm hand. She reached over, popping the cork off. 

The bottle hit the ground, shattering. "Son of a...!" 

Neo popped a cork off another bottle, patiently handing another bottle to Cinder. Cinder took it, sighing. "We have the Relic of knowledge. But she only answers three questions, and they're out. We have Ozpin, but he's not answering. We have the entire arsenal of Atlas at our disposal, but none of it is worth a damn."

She took a long swig of the wine, sighing as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "What the fuck am I doing here? Nothing. We haven't even moved to start with Salem. We're dealing with some random, half-Grimm, solo kidnapper without any special equipment." She gritted her teeth, then hurled the bottle against the wall. Shards of glass scattered, hitting the ground. Cinder breathed in and out, trying to calm herself when her scroll got a text. She pulled it out, reading, "'Patience'." She gave Neo a raised eyebrow. 

Neo sprawled across Cinder's lap, legs hanging over one side of the chair while her head hung over the other, and began typing. "'These things don't happen quickly.'" Cinder snorted. "Well, we could at least _start_ it."

Her scroll chimed, and after reading the message, her stomach did a flip. 

It read simply, _Was Beacon built in a day? Did they start with the windows or the floors?_

"'You have to start where you have to start'," Cinder read quietly. Neo nodded, putting up her scroll. Apparently, the argument was over, and Neo had won. Cinder put up her scroll, leaning in and kissing Neo. "You are my mile marker," she chuckled. Neo made a face, sticking out her tongue. "You're more like a sign, though. You don't speak to me yet you still find a way to tell me where to go."

Neo nodded, grinning. 

_I can do this,_ Cinder thought. "I can do this," she said aloud. "Just need to take my time."

A knock came upon the door. "Who is it?" Cinder said in a commanding voice. She didn't have confidence in herself, Neo knew. Whenever she was with anyone else, she always had to act like she was in charge. Like she was the one who gave orders. 

She'd quickly learned exactly how many of her orders Neo cared for. 

"Me," Ruby called out. 

Cinder hesitated. "Come in." 

Ruby Rose stepped in, and Cinder caught a glimpse of two guards standing outside the room. Ruby stood there, arms swinging like she didn't know what to do. She found a chair that Cinder had shoved to the side, then picked a shard of broken glass off it. She didn't say anything, and simply dusted off the chair and threw the shard into the wastebasket. Sliding it over, she said, "You seemed nervous during the meeting. Everything okay?"

"Yes, I just love getting told to take some time to myself and then proceed to get interrupted every few minutes," Cinder said dryly. "Is that all you came for?"

"It's not actually what I came for, it's just something I thought I'd ask while I was here," Ruby said, shrugging. She put her hands together, winced, then tossed another piece of broken glass into the basket. "Is it at all possible for you to stop smashing those?" she asked. "Or just...switch to plastic?"

"We'll see," Cinder said flatly. She shot out her hand, taking a soda and pulling it over. Ruby leaned back, away from the hand. 

"I got used to it quickly," Cinder said, shrugging. She almost reached over to pop the lid off, hesitated, then handed it to Neo. "Do you mind?" she asked. Neo sighed, taking the lid off, took a swig, then handed the bottle back to Cinder. Cinder didn't remark on this, sipping from the bottle. "What was it you came to ask about?"

"I mean..." Ruby pointed to her Grimm hand. "I was wanting to know. Did you want to schedule a time for us to try and work on that or...or something? I don't know."

Cinder looked down at her three claws, an anxious feeling rising in her. "I don't know," she said. Neo lifted her scroll, and Cinder read, "'Now'? Why now?"

"I mean..." Ruby coughed awkwardly. "Why not now?"

Cinder frantically searched her mind for some excuse, but found none. Ruby took the Grimm hand, holding it in both her own, staring at it. "How do I do this?" she muttered. 

"Just...please don't disintegrate my arm," Cinder said. "It grows back, but it still hurts." 

Ruby nodded. "I'll try."

They sat there a moment. Ruby closed her eyes, breathing deeply for a minute. Then, her face scrunched up and she sighed. She thought the matter over, then asked, "When did you begin to notice your feelings for Neo?"

Neo looked up, frowning. Cinder said, "Right after Haven."

"Go on. Tell me." Ruby sat back, looking at her expectantly. "When was it? What were you doing?"

"We were..." Cinder mumbled something unintelligible.

"Hmm?"

"Y-you don't want to hear this." 

Ruby frowned, but said, "No, no. You can tell me."

"Salem...ordered me not to kill you, so when I ran into Neo, I realized I could point her to get her vengeance on you," Cinder muttered, "so I wouldn't be disobeying Salem and I'd still get my revenge."

All Ruby said was, "Oh."

"I quickly realized that getting Neo to do anything she didn't want to do was easier said than done," Cinder chuckled, looking down at the girl in her lap. "I was endlessly frustrated by her almost the entire ride to Atlas. By the time we got to Atlas, I was about ready to kill her. I...I don't know how I went from that to sleeping with her."

Neo reached over, wrapping an arm around Cinder's shoulder's, grinning broadly. Then, she batted her eyelashes. 

"Sometimes I'm still on the fence," Cinder said. Neo glared at her, and it was Cinder's turn to smile. 

They sat there a long moment. "Well, that did nothing," Ruby sighed. "I was hoping that would...I dunno, trigger the silver eyes or something. Clearly, it was your couple story's fault. Get better couple stories."

"I hardly think that's why," Cinder said. Neo held up a hand, putting on a thinking face. She nodded, seemingly agreeing with Ruby. Cinder sighed. "Well, I'll call you when we get one," Cinder said. 

Ruby laughed. "Okay. Do that." 

Then the door burst open, and a female guard rushed in. "The Blade's in the compound," she said. 

"And here we go," Cinder said, rising. Neo fell off the chair, hitting the floor, landing on her butt. She glared up at Cinder, throwing up her hands. "Sorry."

"That's one," Ruby said. 


	13. Chapter 13

"So the Blade can just come and go as she pleases?" Cinder muttered, stepping out the door. 

"Ironwood called you up to his office, he's got ample protections there," the guard said, leading the way out. 

"Where's the Blade?" Ruby asked. 

"I don't know, didn't ask," the guard said, pointing her gun down the hallway before moving down herself. "I heard the General mention that people were engaging it--somewhere else. Ma'am, I can lead her to Ironwood by myself. You ought to go out and help with the fight." 

"Yeah, we're fine! Go help!" Ruby said. Her confident grin faded when Cinder stopped in her tracks. 

"You're voice..."

The guard turned around. "Hmm?"

Cinder stepped forward, leaning close. "Take off your helmet."

"Pardon?"

Cinder didn't ask again. She backhanded the guard, sending the helmet flying off. The guard cried out in surprise, falling backwards. She glared up at Cinder, one single, red eye narrowing. "You must admit, it was a damn good try," the Blade said, flipping backwards onto her feet. She threw the gun asides, pulling her sword out and pointing it at Cinder. 

Cinder summoned two glass blades, glaring at the half-Grimm creature in front of her. Ruby's jaw dropped, but she quickly got over her surprise and pulled out Crescent Rose. "What do you want?" she demanded. 

"What's best for Mantle," the Blade said. "Ironwood only breaks everything he touches. He needs to--" She ducked beneath a blast of fire, rolling backwards. 

"Don't make me laugh," Cinder snorted. "And you decided that to kill the general, you first shoot his horses? What excuse could you have for attacking innocent people? And what goal do you have with Ruby?"

The Blade stiffened, rising. Then, she turned and ran. Cinder shot down the corridor after her, her Grimm hand stretching after the Blade. The Blade parried the claws with her sword, tossing a ball at the Grimm hand. The bomb exploded, severing the Grimm hand in half. Cinder cried out, clutching her stump and stumbled. Ruby stopped besides her, but Cinder snapped, "Go! Get her!" Ruby zoomed off, ahead of Cinder as the Maiden flew off the ground. Neo jumped into the air, and Cinder caught her by the arm, carrying her with her as she turned a corner. 

The Blade jumped to a window, broke out, and flipped upwards. Without hesitation, Ruby jumped out the window after her, grabbing hold of the ledge and looking up. The Blade stood on the slanted roof of a tower, and threw a bomb down at Ruby. The bomb went through a cloud of rose petals that shot into the air above the Blade, who quickly found herself staring down a gun. She slid around the side of the tower as Ruby fired. Ruby ran around the curved spire, slashing at the Blade. The Blade parried, shoving and slashing back at the silver eye only to have her shatter beneath the attack. Neo struck her full in the chest, then Ruby struck from behind. The Blade stumbled to the edge of the roof, warding off the two of them with her sword. 

Cinder floated up behind the Blade, holding a fireball in her hand. 

The air between the three of them was tense. "You want to protect people, right?" the Blade asked. "Protect them from Ironwood!" 

"Ironwood is only doing what he thinks is best," Ruby replied. 

"You can be doing what you think is best even if you're committing mass murder," the Blade stated. 

"There's bigger threats around here," Cinder said, floating right behind the Blade. She snuffed out the fire, adding, "There is a creature out there wanting to destroy everything. She wins if we focus more on fighting each other than fighting her. We _are_ on the same side. We need to protect the world--and we can't do that by killing the people living in it." Cinder extended a hand. "Come on."

"Something like that...? Ironwood's just a liability. He'll--"

"Tell me what you really want here today," Cinder ordered. "You could have killed Ironwood and been gone today. Same with your last time here. You want Ruby."

A cloud of smoke rose inbetween the three of them, and the Blade jumped onto the spire, seeing the whole world below her, a look of determination on her face. "I should have killed the general last time. I got distracted by Ruby."

"Distracted?" Ruby frowned. Neo blew a kiss, covering her mouth as if hiding a giggle. 

"Not like that!" the Blade cried. "For crying out loud. You can heal her of her Grimm hand. You could heal me. I had...I had a name once. A family. A life. I can't remember what it was, but it's not something I wanted to give up."

"You could have asked," Ruby said. 

The Blade's eye blinked once, twice. She cocked her head that reminded Cinder very much of crows. "Yes, because I wanted to end up in indentured servitude or whatever bullshit you and the General have planned for me. How much is he paying you? Is it worth it?"

"He's not--that's not what's going on!" Ruby cried. "I'm here to protect the world! Save it from Salem. Ironwood is on our side! None of us want Salem to win."

"'Salem'. Couldn't think of anything more menacing, eh?" The Blade snorted, shaking her head. "If she's not made up, I'll kill her after Ironwood."

"If you're taking this long to try and kill Ironwood, I doubt you'll be able to take Salem," Cinder said quietly. 

"Speaking of time..." The Blade turned and hopped, sliding off the roof and jumping off the tower. Cinder shot after her, a stream of fire going behind her. The Blade kicked off the side of the tower, pulling out and firing a grappling hook to swing herself to another tower. Cinder fired a blast, hitting the cord and breaking the hook. Then, she shot towards the Blade, grabbing her and smashing her through a wall. The two of them skidded across the ground, landing in the training room. Cinder landed on her feet. The Blade hopped backwards, stumbling only slightly as she pointed her weapon at Cinder. 

"What kind of Semblance is that?" the Blade hissed. "What _can't_ you do?"

"Sometimes, something seems like the right thing to do," Cinder said. Clumsily, she opened a small satchel hidden beneath her mantle. From it, she pulled out a small circlet, clenching her fist around it. "Sometimes, you do something you'll end up regretting."

The Blade sighed. "Maybe I'll regret this someday. But--"

Cinder's eye flared, fire rising around her as she floated off the ground. "You AREN'T listening to me! You're just being a stubborn ass right now! You can't assassinate Ironwood--let alone Salem! Who do you think you'll be protecting by killing Ironwood? If he's as corrupt as all that, then someone just as corrupt will take his place! Or worse! You really think you can end the injustice with more injustice?"

Ruby landed on the ground in a burst of petals, Neo right beside her. The Blade looked at the three of them. 

"I can still help you," Ruby said. "Just please. Stop this. We can work together to stop Salem--Ironwood, too. He knows he's done some things wrong--he's doing his best to fix things." Ruby looked towards Cinder. "A lot of us are."

The Blade shook her head. "I--I need to think." She jumped through the air, a few feathers floating down to the ground as she went out the hole Cinder had made in the wall. Cinder stumbled, Neo catching her before she fell. Cinder twirled the circlet around once, then returned it to its satchel. 

"I guess she'll come back later," Ruby said, looking up at the hole. "We ought to talk to Ironwood about his security." 

Neo swept Cinder off her feet, poking her leg as she held her. Cinder hissed, and Neo raised an eyebrow. Cinder couldn't meet her eyes. 

"You need to take better care of yourself," Ruby stated. "You just can't take a backseat, can you?"

Cinder looked up towards the silver-eyed Huntress. "Hey. Ruby?"

"What?"

"Do you believe in destiny?"


	14. Chapter 14

"Salem."

The played off the roof of her mouth, tasting bitter, yet so familiar. Her earlier confidence had faded by now, as she sat in front of an empty fire. One thing was for certain--the Blade had seen or heard about Salem in her life before. She now suspected that Cinder was right--she couldn't take on Salem. Not by herself. 

Meaning she'd have to go back to them. Could she trust Ironwood? Somehow, she felt she could trust Ruby--she had no clue why. She never could have met Ruby, before she was a Grimm, so this wasn't a memory-based impulse. Was it? She couldn't tell. Too many emotions, anger, hate, suspicion, love, joy, all clambered around inside her head. 

She got up, feeling the need to pace. "Salem."

A bitter word. A bitter memory. 

Gods, she had never wished so much that she had all her memories. 

Cinder wiped the rag, cleaning off several year-old scorch marks off the metal. Good metal. Not cheap crap used on some armor that was never meant to see battle, but real metal meant for real Huntresses. 

It seemed that Pyrrha Nikos had spared no expense. 

The door opened, but then closed itself and then came a polite knock. Cinder smiled at that, straightening the mantle over her shoulder. She spun the chair around, facing the door. "Come in." 

Ruby came in, stepping over. Her eyes fell upon the circlet, and a sad look came over her face. A face that Pyrrha had once brought joy to. There were others that missed her--and they all knew that Cinder Fall was the reason their friend was gone forever. 

Ruby's hand fell upon Cinder's shoulder, and she looked up. Ruby smiled, not bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes. Neo wrapped an arm around Cinder's shoulders.

None of them said anything. None of them needed to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that's it! Hope you all enjoyed this fic!  
> As usual, I wanted to leave the ending open so I have room to make sequels in case I want to return to this sometime. No promises, but it might come sometime! But there's one or two other fics that I want to make sequels for first, as well as one that probably deserves a sequel for being the first 'big' fic I wrote.   
> Happy holidays and well wishes to all!


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